Tulane Green Wave Defensive Star Earns Another Preseason Watch List Honor
Tulane Green Wave defensive star Patrick Jenkins is on another award watch list for the 2024 season, as he was the only player from the program to make the Lombardi Award preseason watch list.
Named for famed Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi, the award is given annually to the college football player who best embodies the values and spirit of Lombardi.
Jenkins returns as one of the stars of the Green Wave defense entering the season.
Last year he had 35 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss (team high) and 5.5 sacks. That earned him All-AAC First-Team honors from the conference. He helped the Green Wave reach the AAC title game for the second straight year, though they fell to SMU.
The year before he was part of the Green Wave’s AAC-winning season and its victory in the Cotton Bowl over USC.
Jenkins has been on practically every preseason AAC team, including the league’s official team released last month during media days.
Jenkins meets the criteria to be eligible because he is a defensive lineman. Candidates can be a down lineman on offense or defense that sets up no further than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball at the snap. Linebackers can qualify if they set up no further than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage.
Tulane finished third in the AAC preseason media poll with 362 points plus two first-place votes. Jon Sumrall takes over as head coach from Willie Fritz, who left the Green Wave to take the head-coaching job at Houston.
Sumrall was at Troy for two seasons before returning the Green Wave, where he served as an assistant coach a decade ago.
Jenkins is no stranger to watch lists this season. His appearance on the Lombardi preseason list is his fifth of college football’s awards. The others are the Outland Trophy, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Wuerffel Trophy and the Bednarik Award.
Tulane opens the regular season on Aug. 29 with a home contest against Southeastern Louisiana at Yulman Stadium at 7 p.m.
2024 Lombardi Award Preseason Watch List
LB Leo Lowin, Army
LB Colin Ramos, Navy
OG Brant Banks, Rice
DT Patrick Jenkins, Tulane
DE Desmond Little, UAB
OLB Barrett Carter, Clemson
OT Blake Miller, Clemson
DT Peter Woods, Clemson
OT Darius Washington, Florida State
DE Patrick Payton, Florida State
DE Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (FL)
DE Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina
OG Logan Parr, SMU
DT Aeneas Peeples, Virginia Tech
DL Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Virginia Tech
LB Jay Higgins, Iowa
LB Nick Jackson, Iowa
OC Logan Jones, Iowa
DT Mason Graham, Michigan
DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan
TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
OT Aireontae Ersery, MInnesota
LB Xander Mueller, Northwestern
OG Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
DE Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
DE JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State
DT Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
LB Jeffery Bassa, Oregon
OT Ajani Cornelius, Oregon
OT Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
DE Abdul Carter, Penn State
DT Bear Alexander, USC
OC Jonah Monheim, USC
LB Jacob Manu, Arizona
OT Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
DE Tyler Batty, BYU
DT Lee Hunter, UCF
DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
OG Luke Kandra, Cincinnati
DT B.J. Green II, Colorado
OT Dalton Cooper, Oklahoma State
LB Nick Martin, Oklahoma State
OC Joe Michalski, Oklahoma State
LB Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State
LB Junior Tafuna, Utah
OT Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
OG Clay Webb, Jacksonville State
DT Jay Hardy, Liberty
OT Shiyazh Pete, New Mexico State
DE Maurice Westmoreland, UTEP
DT Hosea Wheeler, Western Kentucky
DT Howard Cross III, Notre Dame
TE Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
DT Rylie Mills, Notre Dame
DE CJ Nunnally IV, Akron
OT Alex Wollschlaeger, Bowling Green
OT Reid Holskey, Miami (OH)
LB Matt Salopek, Miami (OH)
OC Jacob Gideon, Western Michigan
OC Mose Vavao, Fresno State
OT Tiger Shanks, UNLV
OT Joshua Gray, Oregon State
OT Fa'alili Fa'amoe, Washignton State
LB Kyle Thornton, Washington State
LB Nate Johnson, Appalachian State
OT Makilan Thomas, Arkansas State
DT Isaac Walker, Georgia Southern
LB Jason Henderson, Old Dominion
DE Ben Bell, Texas State
OG Daniel King, Troy
OG Tyler Booker, Alabama
OC Parker Brailsford, Alabama
MLB Deonte Lawson, Alabama
OG Jaeden Roberts, Alabama
DE Landon Jackson, Arkansas
OG Dylan Fairchild, Georgia
OG Tate Ratledge, Georgia
OLB Mykel Williams, Georgia
DE Deone Walker, Kentucky
OT Will Campbell, LSU
OT Emery Jones Jr., LSU
OLB Harold Perkins Jr., LSU
DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
MLB Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
DE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
DE Trey Moore, Texas
DE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
DT Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
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